In Memoriam

Brenda Jean Kline

Co-Founder & Director of Odessa Animal Sanctuary ยท June 2, 1957 to January 24, 2026

Brenda Kline didn't set out to build a sanctuary. She set out to help one animal, and then another, and then she couldn't stop. That was who she was. Once she saw something that needed doing, she did it. No committees, no waiting around. Just action.

She and Andy started this place in 2005 with not much more than a piece of land and the kind of stubbornness that makes impossible things happen. Twenty years later, more than 450 animals call this sanctuary home because of what she built.

Brenda passed away on January 24, 2026. She was 68 years old. She faced it the way she faced everything else. Quietly, fiercely, and completely on her own terms.

Buddy the mini paint horse at Odessa Animal Sanctuary
How It All Began

The Horse That Changed Everything

Before there was a sanctuary, there were dogs and cats. Brenda and Andy had always been the kind of people who couldn't say no to an animal in need. They took in strays, nursed sick animals back to health, and found homes for the ones they could.

Then Buddy showed up. A mini paint horse, tied to a fence, with nobody coming back for him. The Klines took him in, and that was the turning point. The rescue wasn't just about dogs and cats anymore. It was about any animal that needed somewhere to go.

That single decision turned into something neither of them could have predicted. Zebras. Tortoises. Goats. Pigs. Alpacas. Birds of every kind. More than 5 acres of land, filled with animals that had been given up on by everyone except Brenda and Andy.

Who She Was

Independent, Strong-Willed, and All Heart

Anyone who knew Brenda for five minutes understood what she was about. She was independent. She didn't wait for permission or approval. If something needed to happen for the animals, she made it happen.

She was strong-willed in a way that could frustrate you and inspire you in the same conversation. She didn't back down when she believed in something, and she always believed in the animals.

But underneath all of that strength was someone who felt things deeply. She carried a big heart, even when she didn't always let people see it. The animals saw it, though. They always knew. And she knew every single one of them.

What She Built

Over 450 animals. More than 5 acres. Twenty years of showing up every single day.

Alpacas roaming the sanctuary grounds at Odessa Animal Sanctuary
A white peahen walking with her chick at the sanctuary
A tortoise at Odessa Animal Sanctuary

Honoring Her Memory

In keeping with Brenda's wishes, no public services were held. She never wanted a fuss made over her. That was Brenda.

If you'd like to honor what she spent her life building, the best thing you can do is help us keep it going. Every donation to Odessa Animal Sanctuary goes directly to the animals she loved. Feed, vet bills, shelter. That's what mattered to her, and that's where the money goes.

The sanctuary continues because that is what Brenda would want. Keep feeding, keep caring, keep showing up. That was her way, and it will always be ours.

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